YC’s deadline has passed, but there are still strong founder programmes accepting applications across the US, Europe, and MENA > @hub71ad Cohort 20 A programme for ambitious founders building, growing, and scaling from Abu Dhabi, with access to Hub71’s startup community and ecosystem. Apply by August 2 > ElbowGrease by GutterCapital $300K for 9% 10 weeks in NYC Apply by July 31 > Dubai Founders HQ A free six-week programme, delivered with Antler, for aspiring and early-stage founders. It includes workshops, mentoring, startup experts, investor access, and networking; no equity or programme fee is required. Apply by August 24 > @spc Founder Fellowship $1M in funding $400K upfront + $600K in the next external round Apply by August 2 > Sanabil Founder University LAUNCH, Saudi Arabia A 12-week pre-accelerator for MENA-based founders, delivered remotely with selected in-person sessions in Riyadh; Cohort 2. Begins October 25 > @mtndao Startup Residency One-month residency for frontier-tech founders Workspace, founder community, and demo-day exposure Apply by August 31 > R{3}sidency by @fabric_vc $300K investment 12 weeks in London, plus $100K in partner credits and a New York investor roadshow Apply by September 15 > Character Labs by @CharacterCap $200K for 5% Product-market-fit focused programme Apply by September 23 Missing one application cycle does not mean missing the right opportunity. The best programme depends on your stage, what you are building, and whether you need capital, founder support, customer access, product feedback, or a stronger path into your next round. For founders preparing in parallel, FAIR helps organize the work behind a private raise, materials, relationships, diligence, and outreach in one structured workflow.

YC Bench by @CollinearAI: Benchmark for Agents who play CEO of an AI startup for 1 simulated year via CLI tool use against a deterministic discrete-event simulation. Score = final $$ amount achieved by @nazneenrajani and team Also a good opportunity to showcase this recent hf command ⬇️